The Hardest Part
by millumino
Summary: What happens when Quinn starts working longer hours and never seems to be home. Hermione has had enough. One shot  possible two shot .
1. Quinn isn't the only idiot here

**For **addictedtoemma**** who** **inspired** **this** **with** **a** **rather** **brilliant** **prompt. Unbeta'd** **so** **I** **apologize** **for** **any** **mistakes. I do not own Glee. ********************************************************

_'Mione,_

_Went for a jog with Merlin, he's probably asleep._

_Working the long shift again tonight so I won't be home for dinner._

_Love,_

_Q,_

Hermione crumpled up the note on the refrigerator and tossed it in the trash. It was the sixth night in a row that Quinn hadn't been home for dinner. Last week the blonde at least managed to come home for a quick dinner before heading back to the hospital. But Hermione felt as though she hadn't seen her girlfriend at all this week. The only time she saw Quinn was when she woke up in the morning to find the blonde passed out on the couch, obviously too exhausted to make it to bed.

At first Hermione was concerned, thinking Quinn was being overworked and probably not eating or sleeping properly. But now she was just annoyed. She didn't even have Merlin tonight to keep her company.

"She could have at least not worn you out with her infamous five mile run," Hermione muttered as she spotted Merlin curled in his bed snoring lightly.

Surprisingly, the next morning Hermione woke up to find Quinn was in bed, snoring softly. Frowning, Hermione got out of bed (not even worrying about waking Quinn). On her way out she spotted another note on the fridge.

_M,_

_Working long shift tonight & tomorrow. _

_Q_

With a huff, Hermione decided she'd had enough. She wasn't going to spend another night alone with just a sleepy Merlin to keep her entertained. She'd already pestered Harry and Ginny enough the previous week; and remembering someone at work mentioning wanting to start a book club, she decided she'd ask a few friends from the office if they wanted to come by the next few days.

The following three weeks, Quinn's work schedule didn't change. The blonde, however, did manage to surprise Hermione for lunch or dinner once or twice, but otherwise it was almost as though the two weren't a couple but just flatmates. Especially since Quinn stopped leaving notes for Hermione a week ago.

Hermione was sure Quinn didn't even realize that she spent Wednesday evening hosting a book club, Thursday evening at the Potter's, Friday evening at the Burrow and Saturday evenings at home for dinner and a movie with Luna, Ron, Neville and one of her co-workers, a pretty blonde witch named Sarah, who also attended the book club.

Lately on both Wednesday and Saturday nights, Sarah would stay later for dinner or to help Hermione clean up before leaving. One Saturday, after the others had left Hermione, who was particularly hyper off too many butter beers, insisted Sarah stay to watch another movie, a horror film Quinn kept telling Hermione to see.

Quinn decided to come home early, hoping to catch Hermione before she went to bed. Quinn noticed the TV on the living room and walked in.

"Baby?"

Sarah and Hermione had been captivated by a very intense scene and both screamed when they heard Quinn jumping towards each other.

When Hermione realized that an axed murderer was not in the apartment she let go of Sarah.

"Quinn?"

Quinn didn't respond, shocked to see Hermione and some blonde floozy snuggled on the couch together, her jaw clenching.

"The Quinn?" Sarah perked up, letting go of Hermione and standing to her feet, oblivious to the death glare Quinn was giving her. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you." She held her hand out. "Hermione doesn't stop talking about you at work."

Hermione, who was still slightly tipsy, got to her feet, stumbling a little. "Quinn baby, this is Sarah. Sarah, Quinn."

"Nice to meet you," Quinn stated through gritted teeth, shaking Sarah's hand a little harder than necessary.

Sarah was a bright girl and she quickly put two and two together. "'Mione, I should get going." She mumbled, gently massaging her hand. "It was nice meeting you, Quinn."

"By, Sarah! See you at work!" Hermione waved, noting the tension radiating off of Quinn, but not caring. "I thought you got off at five?" Hermione turned back to Quinn.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your plans," Quinn growled, walking to the kitchen. She noticed a couple of dishes in the sink and empty bottles of butterbeer. "Hope your dinner date was lovely."

Hermione fed off of Quinn's energy, sobering up quickly, all the nights alone or without Quinn for the past four weeks coming to her mind.

"If you must know, Quinn, she's just a friend from work. But I can't understand why you're upset since it's not like you've been around for dinner dates or cuddles on the couch."

"I've been working, Hermione!" Quinn yelled.

"Yeah. Well how would I know. You're never here."

"Because I'm at the hospital."

"And what, Quinn, I'm just supposed to stay at home alone with Merlin night after night without seeing my girlfriend for weeks?" Hermione crossed her arms.

"So what?" Quinn snapped, "You and Sarah getting cuddly on the couch every night, then?"

"No. Just Mondays and Saturdays," Hermione said calmly, knowing it'd wind Quinn up.

Quinn's knuckles were practically white, her jaw tight as she strained to keep her emotions in check. She inhaled sharply then let it out slowly before walking silently to the bedroom.

"What, Quinn?" Hermione followed the blonde to the bedroom. "No reply?"

Quinn didn't even look at Hermione as she grabbed a duffle bag and shoved some clothes, moving to the bathroom to grab a few things.

"Wonderful," Hermione rolled her eyes. "How very adult of you?"

"Well it's not like I'm wanted here anymore," Quinn finally broke her silence, after zipping up the bag, her voice cracking.

"Gah!" Hermione yelled, her hands lifted in frustration "You are such an idiot sometimes, Lucy Quinn Fabray!"

Quinn's chest tightened, her jaw stiff, keeping the tears at bay. She swallowed once then reached in her pocket. "Obviously." she choked, before pulling her hand out of her pocket.

"I guess it was really dumb of me to ask for extra shifts so I could get you this?" Quinn said, shoving a small jewelry box into Hermione's hands before leaving.

Hermione distantly heard the front door slam as she opened the box, revealing a beautiful gold diamond ring, causing the brunette to drop to the floor in a heap, tears streaming down her face.

**Some people have suggested I continue this. Please Review and let me know if you want to see how this continues. I'm still up in the air about it - I have thoughts, but well. I'm more of a one shot fic kind of writer, so... yeah. Thoughts and critiques welcome!**


	2. Why does this feel so final?

__So, I've been rather stumped... considering I originally wrote this as a one shot. But I thought I'd try to continue it. I own nothing. Unbeta'd, so I apologize for any errors.__

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><p>Quinn was such an emotional mess of anger, heartbreak and frustration that by the time she made it to the garage and into her car she realized that she had no idea where she was going to go.<p>

She couldn't go to Harry's; by the time she'd make it to Godric's Hollow she'd have to head back for work. There was no way in hell she'd go to Ron's. And her friends from the hospital... well she couldn't very well go and crash with them.

She contemplated going to the hospital but she was sure if she went there, everyone would ask ... and she really didn't want to explain. Just the thought of explaining brought a new wave of tears to her eyes.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." She hit her forehead against the steering wheel with each word.

Hermione wasn't fairing much better up in the apartment. Merlin had been cowering in the corner of the bedroom when Quinn and Hermione started shouting at each other. When Quinn left, the door slamming and shaking the apartment, the pug had started nudging his nose against Hermione's sobbing form, whimpering.

Merlin's whines distracted Hermione for a second, but then when she saw Merlin's head cocked to the side in confusion, a new wave of guilt and sadness overtook her. She pulled the pup into her arms, holding him tightly against her chest, mumbling into his fur "Mer, how do I fix this?"

The following morning, Hermione woke up and reached for Quinn, everything from the previous night flooded to the front of her mind. The blonde wasn't there, in her place Merlin was snoring softly, the small jewelry box resting on the pillow near Hermione's head.

She checked her cell phone; her heart dropping when she didn't have any missed calls or text messages. She buried her face into the pillow and let out of a muffled yell, startling Merlin awake.

Hermione sat up abruptly, grabbing her cell phone and making a decision.

**I'm sorry. A million times sorry. Come home. Please? x H**

She sighed, deciding she should get ready for the day and figure out how to fix this mess since she was sure that Quinn was too stubborn and realizing that she had played a decent hand in the hurtful words tossed around the previous night.

Hermione checked her phone throughout the day while she was at work, frowning each time when she noticed Quinn hadn't responded. She texted and tried calling, leaving message after message for the blonde. Every time the call went directly to voicemail.

Her sadness started to turn to concern when Quinn hadn't respond to any of her texts or phone calls by the time Hermione returned to the apartment from work. She even called Harry and Ron to see if the blonde had been rash enough to drive all the way out to their houses.

**Where are you? I'm worried. Please let me know you're okay. x H**

When she didn't get a response, Hermione finally decided to call the hospital.

"Hello. Yes, Dr. Fabray please? She's not there? Sorry, this is Hermione. Yes, oh. What time did she head home?" Hermione worried her lip. "Oh, okay. No, that's okay, thank you."

Hermione hung up, a sense of dread settling into her stomach as she dialed Quinn's number.

Just as it had earlier in the afternoon it went to voicemail.

"Quinn? Can you please call me? Please, I'm really really worried. I called the hospital; they said you headed home two hours ago. I know you probably don't want to talk to me. Just. Please, call me and let me know you're okay? Please?" Hermione's voice was barely a whisper by the end of her message, fresh tears starting to leak down her cheeks. "I love you. Call me back."

Hermione ended up falling asleep on the couch with Merlin curled at her feet and her cell phone tightly clutched in her hand. She woke up to the sound of the front door closing and immediately shot off of the couch, knocking Merlin out of his pleasant slumber as she rushed to the door.

"Quinn?"

The blonde was standing in the entryway and looked up, surprised to see Hermione running towards her.

"Oh my g-d," Hermione threw herself at Quinn; not caring about anything, just glad to see the blonde was okay. Quinn was surprised to say the least, but couldn't stop herself from relaxing into Hermione's embrace, enjoying the comforting warmth the other girl offered. "I was so worried," Hermione buried her head into the crook of Quinn's shoulder.

Quinn rather awkwardly put her arms around Hermione; unsure how she should react considering the last time she spoke to the brunette she'd left in such a heat of anger. "Yeh," Quinn mumbled against Hermione's hair.

"Don't you ever do that to me again," Hermione stepped out of Quinn's space, tears trailing down her cheeks as she hit the blonde on the arm fiercely. "I don't care how upset you are at me. Don't you ever worry me like that again, Quinn Fabray."

Quinn flinched, cowering a little at the brunette's attack. To say Quinn was confused would be an understatement. She was exhausted from work and lack of sleep, sore from sleeping in her car and absolutely bewildered by Hermione's emotional state.

"Where were you?" Hermione continued not seeming to notice Quinn's shocked and confused expression. "I called Harry. I called Ron. I called the hospital. You didn't return my calls. Merlin, Quinn, I nearly called the police I was so worried!" She stomped her foot a little to emphasize her point.

"Well?" Hermione looked expectantly at Quinn.

"I… I just came to get a few things," Quinn said softly, too stubborn to admit that she had returned in hopes of getting a decent night's sleep on the couch.

The reality of everything hit Hermione like a ton of bricks and her face fell at the realization. "Oh. Um, of course…" she mumbled, biting her lip nervously.

Quinn mentally slapped herself for being so stubborn as she shuffled her way past Hermione and down the hall to the bedroom on the pretense of getting more clothes. Hermione leaned against the frame of the bedroom door as she watched Quinn gather some shirts from the closet.

"Where are you staying?" Hermione asked quietly.

Quinn's hands stilled at the question before replying, "You know Colby at the hospital…his place."

Hermione narrowed her eyes slightly, "Yes… I spoke with him when I called the hospital."

Quinn closed her eyes, mentally cursing herself and silently praying her lie would slide by, "Yeah."

Quinn moved passed Hermione towards the hall closet, not daring to meet the brunette's gaze.

"Doesn't Colby have blankets?" Hermione asked.

Fuck, Fabray. "Yeah, I. I just feel bad making him do laundry," Quinn recovered.

Hermione didn't believe the blonde for a moment, but the last thing she wanted to do was start another argument. All she wanted to do was for things to go back to normal. For Quinn to stay and snuggle with her in bed like before.

"You could always stay here," Hermione offered, moving closer to Quinn.

Quinn's jaw tightened, the idea of sleeping on a bed sounded divine, but she just couldn't. The words from the pervious night were too fresh and she was just too stubborn.

"Colby's waiting up for me," she supplied as she made her way to the front door, her chest tightening.

"Of course," Hermione whispered, wrapping her arms around herself and following Quinn to the door. "Quinn?"

"Yeh?"

"I-" Hermione's eyes were shining as she stepped in front of the blonde, forcing Quinn to look at her. "I'm sorry…"

Quinn just swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, "Yeah. Me too…"

Hermione chocked back a small sob at Quinn's response, which seemed so defeated, so final.

Quinn stood in the doorway, her chest tightening as she looked towards the elevator and then back at Hermione.

Hermione stepped forward and as though she understood the internal struggle the blonde was fighting, she leaned forward and placed a small kiss to the blonde's cheek before the blonde left, "Come back to me…"

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><p><strong>Review please. Let me know your thoughts, because I definitely don't know how I got here, the characters in my head seem to be driving the story at the moment, but I'm not sure what direction just yet. Thoughts and ideas always welcomed<strong>


	3. It fits perfectly, actually

_I don't own anything, obviously. Disclaimer disclaimer. Also - I apologize for not updating this on fanfiction, I tend to just post on tumblr and then I forgot about this. Also I apologize for not updating some of the other fics (Freakish Secret Keeper etc.)_

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><p>The following morning Hermione awoke to Merlin licking her face. "Mer," she groaned, rolling over with every intent of just hiding away in the apartment for the whole day, buried under the covers. Merlin kept crawling over her body, whining. "Fine," she said after five minutes, exasperated. "Sorry, Mer," How could she be upset at a face like that. "You just want to go on your walk, huh?"<p>

At the 'W' word, Merlin yapped happily jumping off the bed and scampering down the hallway. As Hermione rolled out of bed and changed, she couldn't help but think how Quinn, despite working a late shift the previous night, would get up on Saturday mornings to walk Merlin out, allowing Hermione to sleep in on Saturdays. Hermione would make sure to have breakfast ready when they returned. It was ... routine, a routine she had missed over the past few weeks.

Letting out a breath she didn't even know she was holding, she and Merlin made their way out. It was garbage day, so she headed down to the garage order to dump a bag into the dumpster. She didn't even realize that Quinn's car was in its usual spot until Merlin started tugging her in the opposite direction. "What is it bo-" She blinked, approaching the vehicle, confusion on her face. Her heart broke when she got closer. Quinn was curled up in the back seat, the two heavy blankets she'd grabbed the night before wrapped around her tightly.

Hermione rapped her knuckles against the window, her breath coming out in puffs against the cold air.

Quinn's sleepy form lifted out of its tightly wrapped cocoon. When she saw Hermione's face in the window, her jaw tightened, her stomach twisting uncomfortably."Quinn, open up," Hermione knocked on the window impatiently. Beat. "Please?" There was a hint of desperation in the brunette's voice.

Quinn groaned and reached over to unlock the door. She was too exhausted and sore to really put up a didn't waste any time in opening the door as soon as it was unlocked. The two girls just stared at each other for a few seconds unsure what to say to the other. Merlin broke the tension by jumping into the back seat, happily licking Quinn's tired face.

"Hey boy," Quinn smiled softly, her voice a hoarse whisper as she scratchd behind Merlin's ears.

Hermione smiled sadly as she watched Merlin happily nuzzle against Quinn. "He misses you..." She whispered.

Quinn looked up, her mouth twitching before she glanced back down at Merlin. "I miss him too..."

Silence enveloped them again until Hermione spoke the reality of the situation in front of her hitting her full force, "Come upstairs." She didn't wait for Quinn to respond. "You don't get a say in the matter. I don't care if you don't want to speak to me." Her voice was low, but firm. "Come upstairs and have a proper lie in."

A part of Quinn wanted to resist, to argue, but she was so utterly exhausted, her muscles aching from sleeping in a cold car the past two nights. It's with a resigned sigh, that Quinn pulls herself out of the car, Merlin clutched in her arms. Hermione felt a sense of relief wash over her at Quinn's compliance. Yet, at the same time, Quinn's defeated attitude was unnerving, that caused a new sense of guilt to settle at the pit of her stomach. They walked in silence up to the apartment and as soon as they entered Quinn walked towards the couch.

"No," Hermione stated, reaching out to grab Quinn's arm. "You're sleeping on a bed." She tugged the blonde towards the bedroom noting how Quinn was raising her brow at her in silent defiance. "I - I can sleep on the couch if you want. But you're taking the bed, please?"

Quinn was too tired to argue, shrugging her shoulders and crawling into bed. She welcomed the warm bed like an old friend, hugging her pillow to her chest and closing her eyes. Hermione pulled the comforter over the blonde who looked beyond exhausted. "I'm so sorry, baby," she whispered, silent tears leaking from her eyes as she pressed a kiss to Quinn's forehead. "Quinn..." Hermione worried her lip, placing her hand against the blonde's forhead. "…you're burning up."

"M'fine, s'ust a cold," Quinn mumbled, her eyes closed as she shifted away from Hermione's touch, burying herself deeper under the warm covers.

Hermione knew better than to argue. It was more than apparent that Quinn didn't want her fussing over her health or even be near her. It hurt to see Quinn physically move away from her like that. Sighing, she made her way to the door, making sure to turn off the lights before leaving the blonde to sleep.

Quinn woke up with a scratchiness at the back of her throat and a pounding headache. She groaned softly, her muscles tight. Poking her head out of the warm covers, she her cracked her eyes open, the realization of where she was hitting her as she took in her surroundings. She rolled over, groaning from the pain in her muscles and the fact that she was sure she was running a fever since she was sweating up a storm.

The room was dark and a quick glance at the clock told she'd slept for almost seven hours. She shifted, pulling herself to her feet. Her muscles ached as as she pulled the blanket around her and tried to shuffle quietly down the hall to find some aspirin.

Her quest for aspirin was stopped when she heard the soft sound of music coming from the living room. After padding her way down the hall to investigate, quinn leaned against the wall, pulling the comforter closer to her as she rested her head to the side. Hermione was sitting on the couch, Merlin curled on her lap, as the music from a mixtape Quinn had made for her last Valentine's Day played in the background.

Hermione was playing with the jewlery box. Quinn watched as Hermione open the blue box, pulling out the ring and rolling it between her fingers. Hermione bent her head towards the ring thoughtfully, her shoulders trembling slightly. Quinn wasn't sure if Hermione was crying or sighing, but it didn't matter, not anymore anyways. Quinn just watched, her stomach turning in knots as she watched the other girl play with the ring. Each time it turned in Hermione's hand, reflecting the light from the room, Quinn felt a new ache settle in her chest. Eventually Hermione slipped the ring on, holding her hand out a little to admire it. That's when Quinn noticed tear stains on the other girls cheeks.

"It fits," Quinn's voice was hoarse as she spoke, not daring to move.

Hermione's head shot up in surprised. She wiped at her face with the back of her hand and looked at Quinn. The blonde's hair was tangled, her nose a little red, but Hermione thought she never looked more lovely wrapped up in _theircomforter._

"Yes it does..." Hermione's voice cracked as she noticed the sad expression in Quinn's eyes. This moment under different circumstances could have been so perfect, sh thought before she spoke again. "It fits. Rather perfectly, actually."


	4. Pepper Up Potion

_Again. Apologies for the lack of updating. But at least it's going up now? _

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><p>"Does she make you happy?" Quinn asked quietly, her voice cracking slightly. She pulled the comforter tighter around her body, her eyes locked on Hermione's hand where the ring Quinn had bought earlier in the week fit so perfectly. Hermione's face fell at the look on Quinn's face, a sharp pain tugging in her chest.<p>

"I just want you to be happy," Quinn could feel her eyes burning as she spoke, her throat going dry. She closed her eyes trying to blink back the tears that threatened to spill. Her heart shattering at the implications of her words. That's all she wanted, for Hermione to be happy.

"Oh, G-d, baby…" Hermione shook her head vigorously, getting up from the couch and walking over to the blonde. Quinn pulled the comforter even tighter around herself as the brunette approached, the action making Hermione's heart shatter, tears leaking down her cheeks. "Quinn.. I - "

"Why, 'Mione?" Quinn whispered, tears starting to flow freely. "It's …" she sniffled softly, "Is it a magic thing?" The blonde's voice was barely above a whisper. Her insecurities finally surfacing for the brunette to see.

"No, not at all," Hermione moved forward, enveloping Quinn into a fierce embrace. "Baby, nothing happened. She's just a friend. Shhh, sweetheart. I'd never," she mumbled into Quinn's hair.

It all became perfectly clear to Hermione, the words thrown around that fateful night surfacing to the front of her brain. "I'm sorry if what I said made you thi- " Hermione choked back a sob as she felt the other girl openly shaking against her. "Shh, it's okay, honey."

A rush of relief flooded the blonde at Hermione's words, causing another flood of tears from physical and emotional exhaustion. A part of her had known nothing happened, but an even larger part preyed on her insecurities, topped with the mental exhaustion she'd been enduring during her long hours at the hospital.

"M'sorry," Quinn mumbled through her tears, her head swimming from exhaustion. "I didn't mean for you to think I was…" she sniffled, "ignoring you."

"It's okay, I -" Hermione pulled back to give Quinn a watery smiled, "I may have overreacted, just a little." She leaned in again, pressing her cheek against the blonde's, pulling her closer, concern growing on her face. "Quinn, you're burning up more than before."

"S'just a cold, s'fine, 'Mione," Quinn pulled her arm out of the comforter to wipe at her nose. She coughed a little, her throat and ear starting to ache.

"I don't care if you're a doctor, Quinn," Hermione shook her head, pulling the blonde towards the couch and sitting her down. Quinn pulled the comforter tighter around her body, shivering slightly. The brunette placed the back of her hand against Quinn's forehead, frowning. "This is more than just a cold… you're shivering like a leaf, sweetie."

Ignoring the rather heavy discussion they had been having prior, Hermione rubbed her hands on Quinn's arms to warm her up before telling her to stay put while she went to grab the thermometer. By the time she got back, Quinn had curled up on the couch, shivering rather violently. "Okay… maybe if mor dan a col" Quinn mumbled, her head feeling dizzy.

"Open up," Hermione said before slipping the thermometer in Quinn's mouth. Quinn shifted on the couch to make room for her girlfriend before resting her head in Hermione's lap. The brunette comb her fingers through blonde locks, gently scratching Quinn's scalp.

After almost three days of not talking of not sleeping in the same bed, it was as though things had suddenly fixed themselves. Or at least started to fix themselves. "Okay, let's see then - shall we?" Hermione pulled the thermometer out of Quinn's mouth with one hand, the other still scratching the blonde's scalp. "Okay - I'm no doctor, but I think we need to get you to one," the brunette sighed looking down at Quinn.

Quinn somehow managed to raise a brow. As much as Quinn was a doctor. She wasn't actually a fan of going to the doctors. In fact, ever since she gave birth to Beth she did her best to stay healthy and avoid unnecessary trips to the doctor's office. There was something about other people poking and prodding her that didn't sit well with the blonde.

"I know you hate the doctor's - not that I understand it seeing as you are one," the brunette couldn't help but smirk a little. "But 38 degrees? Isn't that grounds for a doctor?"

Quinn just groaned, rolling to the side so she could bury her face further into Hermione's lap.

"I might have some pepper up potion…" Hermione offered quietly.

Quinn turned her head to look at Hermione, an exhausted smile playing on her lips. "Please?" She mumbled. She'd take steam coming out of her ears for a few hours over leaving the comfort of a warm bed to have one of her colleagues tell her that she needed bed and rest.

Ten minutes later, Quinn was in bed sleeping soundly, steam gently leaving her ears. Hermione ran her hands through Quinn's hair only stopping when the light caught on the ring still on her hand. A small smile played on her lips as she sighed, pulling the blonde closer to her and humming softly.

Tomorrow they could talk more, but for now Hermione was content to have _her Quinn back._

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><p><em><strong>Okay, well this is it. I don't really know where else to take this - but thank you for reading! I'm glad so many people have enjoyed it! Suggestions and reviews are always greatly appreciated. <strong>_

_**I also apologize for not posting on fanfiction - I'm rather horrible about keeping this up to date - especially with Fabranger NaNoWriMo going on (just follow the fabranger tag on tumblr you'll find some awesome stuff by some amazing writers). **  
><em>


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